Advancements in computer science have made it possible to deploy information technology to address legal problems. Improved legal searches, fraud detection, electronic discovery, digital rights management, and automated takedowns are only the beginning. We are beginning to see natural language processing, machine learning and data mining technologies deployed in contract formation, electronic surveillance, autonomous machines and even decision making. This course examines the basis behind these technologies, deploys them in basic scenarios, studies the reasons for their acceptance or rejection, and analyses them for their benefits, limitations and dangers.

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This course introduces you to the cultural and social significance of fashion, and discusses the intellectual property (IP) laws relevant to the fashion industry. The laws governing the fashion industry are a complex web of laws that include contract, company, employment, insurance, trade laws, but a 5-credit elective will not be able to cover this entire range. Therefore the focus will only be on IP laws. Before delving into the legal doctrines, you will first be familiarised with an interdisciplinary approach – through readings in fashion theory and cultural studies – that will provide you with an understanding of why we dress the way we dress, and how dress codes can have a communicative dimension that can attract the protection of a constitutional right to freedom of expression.

IP laws such as copyright, trademarks, design and geographical indications will be covered, and this course aims to give you a broad understanding of these IP rights drawing from cases in a number of different jurisdictions, i.e. it is not a course on Singapore law.

Case studies covered will span the spectrum of copyright infringement lawsuits against Balenciaga and Guess, trademark registrations by Off-White and Hermes, trademark infringement and dilution claims by Rolex, Christian Louboutin and Tiffany & Co, as well as fashion trends such as counterfeit chic and self-hacking.

Individuals today face increasing risks to the privacy and security of their personal information and there are growing concerns over how such information may be used or misused. Many countries have enacted new data privacy laws, or amended their existing laws, in recent years to enhance the protection of individuals’ personal information. While there are often many similarities in the specific requirements of such laws, countries’ objectives and approaches often differ with some focusing primarily on the protection of individual rights and freedoms, others emphasising the role of data in the digital economy and cross-border trade and yet others leveraging their laws to enhance national security and promote national development. Companies operating globally are thus required to navigate an increasingly complex legal environment.

This course will explore the main theories of data privacy as well as a cross-section of national data privacy laws from North America, Europe and Asia. As this area of law continues to face new challenges arising from developments in business and technology, this module will conclude by examining the role of data privacy laws in regulating emerging technologies.

This course introduces students to the exciting world of intellectual property arbitration. Traditionally thought of and taught as distinct areas of law, the overlap between IP rights and recourse to arbitration for the protection of those rights has grown significantly in recent years. This pioneering course is not currently offered in any other leading law school in the world. It is designed for students with little to no knowledge of IP law. It is also designed for students with an interest in arbitration, regardless of the level of their pre-existing knowledge of arbitration.

Digital Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Amazon, operate on a global scale, often holding monopoly or oligopoly power, and their activities raise serious issues of public policy such as invasion of privacy, anti-competitive behavior and the like. Activities on these platforms might raise equally problematic issues such as the spreading of fake news, interference with the democratic process etc. Control and regulation of these platforms is challenging given their multijurisdictional presence and conflicting public policies in States in which they operate. The course will examine and assess the principal legal regimes notably, European Union, United States, China and Singapore.